School & District State Report

Although we are well into the 2016-2017 school year, you may have noticed the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s recent release of school and district assessment data from 2015-2016.

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) creates School and District Report Cards for every publicly funded school and district in the state. These report cards can be accessed online here: http://dpi.wi.gov/accountability/report-cards. The report cards are intended to help all schools and districts utilize data on specific measures to target improvement efforts to ensure students are ready for the next educational step - including the next grade level, graduation, college, and careers.

The current District and School Report Card, based on the 2015-16 school year, was calculated differently than in past years due to changes required by the legislature. Given these changes along with changes in the assessment itself, many school and district scores changed as compared to the last state report card. DPI has cautioned users about drawing conclusions from overall results or making comparisons to prior school years until we have more years of data. Changes that impacted all publicly funded Wisconsin schools include:

New assessment (third new test in three years)

Calculations are weighted differently not only from years past but across districts

Socio-economic status (percentage of students receiving free and reduced lunch) is used to determine the weight of student growth and student achievement

In addition, the Wisconsin state legislature Senate Bill 67, also known as the “Pause Bill”, stipulated that the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) could not produce School and District Report Cards for the 2014-15 school year. However, the use of the 2014-15 data was used in creating the three-year average scores for the 2015-16 School and District Report Cards.

At the foundation of the report cards are four priority areas. Schools and districts receive a score for each priority area:

Student Achievement proficiency in English language arts and mathematics on state assessments

Closing Gaps in performance between specific student groups (comparing English language learners, low-income students, students with disabilities, and members of a racial or an ethnic group with their peers)

On-Track and Postsecondary Readiness is a measurement using reliable predictors of high school graduation and potential post high school success

The priority area scores are then aggregated into an overall accountability score, from 0 to 100. This score is displayed in the top left corner of the School or District Report Cards. It is important to note that the 0 to 100 accountability score is not a “percent correct” measurement. The score is primarily based on our performance last year, the 2015-16 school year, across the four priority areas.

Schools and districts are also evaluated on their level of student engagement - test participation rates, chronic absenteeism rates, and dropout rates when applicable. Based on its score, a school or district receives one of these five rating categories:

Significantly Exceeds Expectations (5 stars)

Exceeds Expectations (4 stars)

Meets Expectations (3 stars)

Meets Few Expectations (2 stars)

Fails to Meet Expectations (1 star)

For additional information in understanding the report card, click here.

Here’s are key components from the Parkway Elementary School, Glen Hills Middle School and Glendale-River Hills School District report cards:

Priority Areas

Parkway

Glen Hills

Glendale-River Hills School District

State (K-12)

Student Achievement

81.3/100

77.7/100

78.5/100

68.1/100

Student Growth

n/a*

61.3/100

61.3/100

66.0/100

Closing Gaps

86.3/100

91.6/100

84.5/100

64.8/100

On-Track and Postsecondary Readiness

91.1/100

89.9/100

90.5/100

88.0/100

Student Engagement Indicators

Test Participation Rate

Goal met

(no deduction)

Goal not met*

(5 point deduction on overall score)

Goal met

(no deduction)

--

Absenteeism Rate

Goal met

Goal met

Goal met

--

Drop Out Rate

Goal met

Goal met

Goal met

--

Overall Score

85.6

Significantly Exceeds Expectations

75.4

Exceeds Expectations

79.1

Exceeds Expectations

--

* Only one grade (3rd) tested so no measure of student growth

** If only two more students would have participated in testing there would have been no deduction.

DPI has produced two versions of each Report Card: a quick one-pager labeled “School/District Report Card” (included below) and a lengthier, detailed version labeled, “School/District Report Card Detail.” Both versions can be accessed online at http://dpi.wi.gov/accountability/report-cards along with the resouces that explain the report cards.

As a District, we continue to strive for the highest achievement and growth for all students, and we acknowledge that there is still much progress to be made. Please let us know of any questions that you have. We look forward to working with you to make the 2016-17 school year a successful one for your child(ren)!